Same Sex Relationships in India

The of same sex relationship is often frowned upon in India . It is considered  ‘ abnormal’ for a person to be in a same sex relationship.  

It is important to have discussions on this topic because it is indeed a real situation. When a child finds himself or herself attracted to the same sex they should know that it is normal and should not be afraid to accept it. Discussions on this topic are needed so that people do not make fun of people who are gay or lesbian. However , the situation in India is quite different. Certain sections of the society are not even ready to accept that there is such a thing as same sex relationship. It is quickly brushed off by claiming that  ‘ it is a disease’ or that ‘ it is just a phase’.

The biggest challenge for a same sex couple is to convince their parents. I don’t know the exact figures but there are very few parents who are supportive of their children’s decision to be in a same sex relation.   Most parents are ashamed that  their children are gay , lesbian or bisexual. The children often have to face a lot of unnecessary criticism. They are asked to visit people who can help them come out of this ‘phase’ or if they are old enough to marry, persuade them to marry the opposite sex.

There are homophobic people who think it is all right to make fun of people who are gay or lesbian. People go the extreme of shaming them or beating them. They also have to answer questions like “ are you sure you are gay/lesbian?” , “ you are just influenced by the West”, “ How do you know that you are attracted to the same sex?”, “ is it a disorder?”.  These questions are less harmful but still annoying. Imagine having to answer these every now and then. Such questions also show the ignorance of the society on the topic.

DYNAMICS AROUND THE WORLD
FAMOUS LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
 
THE SITUATION IN INDIA
DYNAMICS AROUND THE WORLD
FAMOUS LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
 
THE SITUATION IN INDIA

 Lets have a look at how are same -sex marriages or relations are viewed in various countries.

The Netherland was the first country to legalize same sex –sex marriage in December 2000.

 Around 2008- 2009 Country like Norway, Sweden  ,Iceland, Portugal , Argentina  legalized same sex marriage in their country. Many countries in the Europe followed their footsteps and approved of same sex relations.

There are countries which have strict laws against same sex relations. These are Iran ,Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan , Pakistan , Mauritania UAE, Qatar.  There are a few countries where  some parts are approving of same sex relations and some are not.

Marsha p Johnson

Marsha p Johnson was a drag performer and gay right activist. She was a part of Stonewall uprising which happened on 28 June ,1969. She voiced her opinion on having rights for the LGBTQ community. She was a co- founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries ( STAR).

Alice Nkom

She is a lawyer in Cameroon who advocates towards decriminalization of homosexuality in her country. She is quite well known worldwide for the case she fought in 2005. A group of men were arrested when a gay bar in Cameroon was raided. The case caught the attention of the world and people spoke about how it was wrong to arrest people based on their sexual affinity.

Manvendra Singh Gohli

Manvendra Singh Gohli is an Indian prince , the son of Maharana of Rajpipla.  Being a part of the royal family he did face problems expressing his attraction towards males. He married a woman thinking that this will make him “ normal”. However , he soon realized that this did not bring peace to him and he abandoned the marriage.  In 2000 ,he started The Lakshya Trust , which works with the LGBT community.

Other profound LGBTQ activists are

1.       Sylvia Rivera

2.       Harvey Milk

3.       Laverne Cox

4.       Anand Grover

5.       Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

There is increasing awareness among  Indians about the same sex relationships. People are now recognizing that being gay is completely normal and that love is not restricted to anything.

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was introduced in 1861 making same sex relationships illegal. In 2019 , section 377 scrapped. This was a big news and was celebrated by many.

However, the scrapping of the section makes little difference in the daily life of a person who is gay. There is still a huge portion of the Indian society who feels same sex relations are ‘ not natural’. There is lot of hate towards the community and a lot of jokes are made on them. It’s high time we learn to   respect all individuals without any bias.

I did not go deep into the movements held across the world because I wanted to keep this simple.

The of same sex relationship is often frowned upon in India . It is considered  ‘ abnormal’ for a person to be in a same sex relationship.  

It is important to have discussions on this topic because it is indeed a real situation. When a child finds himself or herself attracted to the same sex they should know that it is normal and should not be afraid to accept it. Discussions on this topic are needed so that people do not make fun of people who are gay or lesbian. However , the situation in India is quite different. Certain sections of the society are not even ready to accept that there is such a thing as same sex relationship. It is quickly brushed off by claiming that  ‘ it is a disease’ or that ‘ it is just a phase’.

The biggest challenge for a same sex couple is to convince their parents. I don’t know the exact figures but there are very few parents who are supportive of their children’s decision to be in a same sex relation.   Most parents are ashamed that  their children are gay , lesbian or bisexual. The children often have to face a lot of unnecessary criticism. They are asked to visit people who can help them come out of this ‘phase’ or if they are old enough to marry, persuade them to marry the opposite sex.

There are homophobic people who think it is all right to make fun of people who are gay or lesbian. People go the extreme of shaming them or beating them. They also have to answer questions like “ are you sure you are gay/lesbian?” , “ you are just influenced by the West”, “ How do you know that you are attracted to the same sex?”, “ is it a disorder?”.  These questions are less harmful but still annoying. Imagine having to answer these every now and then. Such questions also show the ignorance of the society on the topic.

 Lets have a look at how are same -sex marriages or relations are viewed in various countries.

The Netherland was the first country to legalize same sex –sex marriage in December 2000.

 Around 2008- 2009 Country like Norway, Sweden  ,Iceland, Portugal , Argentina  legalized same sex marriage in their country. Many countries in the Europe followed their footsteps and approved of same sex relations.

There are countries which have strict laws against same sex relations. These are Iran ,Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan , Pakistan , Mauritania UAE, Qatar.  There are a few countries where  some parts are approving of same sex relations and some are not.

Marsha p Johnson

Marsha p Johnson was a drag performer and gay right activist. She was a part of Stonewall uprising which happened on 28 June ,1969. She voiced her opinion on having rights for the LGBTQ community. She was a co- founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries ( STAR).

Alice Nkom

She is a lawyer in Cameroon who advocates towards decriminalization of homosexuality in her country. She is quite well known worldwide for the case she fought in 2005. A group of men were arrested when a gay bar in Cameroon was raided. The case caught the attention of the world and people spoke about how it was wrong to arrest people based on their sexual affinity.

Manvendra Singh Gohli

Manvendra Singh Gohli is an Indian prince , the son of Maharana of Rajpipla.  Being a part of the royal family he did face problems expressing his attraction towards males. He married a woman thinking that this will make him “ normal”. However , he soon realized that this did not bring peace to him and he abandoned the marriage.  In 2000 ,he started The Lakshya Trust , which works with the LGBT community.

Other profound LGBTQ activists are

1.       Sylvia Rivera

2.       Harvey Milk

3.       Laverne Cox

4.       Anand Grover

5.       Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

There is increasing awareness among  Indians about the same sex relationships. People are now recognizing that being gay is completely normal and that love is not restricted to anything.

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was introduced in 1861 making same sex relationships illegal. In 2019 , section 377 scrapped. This was a big news and was celebrated by many.

However, the scrapping of the section makes little difference in the daily life of a person who is gay. There is still a huge portion of the Indian society who feels same sex relations are ‘ not natural’. There is lot of hate towards the community and a lot of jokes are made on them. It’s high time we learn to   respect all individuals without any bias.

I did not go deep into the movements held across the world because I wanted to keep this simple.